Contribution on command

The common complaint of small towns is that everyone knows everyone else’s business. That was the case in Kuttawa, Ky., where Lawn Tek Landscaping is located, but in a positive way.

The small town grapevine alerted company owner Kerry Stinnett and his team of the story of Sgt. Chase Matthews who lost both his legs and mobility in his left arm and hand after an ambush on his military convoy in Iraq.

He and wife Jennifer had a daughter and new baby on the way, so when Stinnett heard that Homes for Our Troops would be building Matthews a home, he knew his company had to get involved in the project.

“We’re a small community and word traveled fast that he’d been severely injured in Iraq,” Stinnett says. “So, I happened to know his family quite well, so it was a no-brainer on our part.”

Lawn Tek helped in the project, which included approximately 900 square feet of plant bedding with all the trees and trim.

The plant material included slow growing Buxus ‘Green Velvet,’ Lagerstroemia ‘Regal Red,’ Nandina domestica ‘Firepower,’ Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’ and long-blooming Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro.’

Also included were a few maiden grasses and a few Thuja, Chamaecyparis  ‘Nana Gracilis’ and a staple plant, Liriope.

“We finished lawn and landscape install with Chase’s special needs in mind – very low maintenance plant material, slow growing plant material, and river rock in beds instead of mulch,” co-owner, Tara Stinnett says.

But the project did have a couple of hiccups. Consistent rain kept delaying the project, which caused a supplier to have to drop out of the project because of scheduling issues.

“We had to scramble at the last minute and we called another supplier that we dealt with and they stepped right up to the plate and furnished all the plant materials we needed for the job,” Kerry Stinnett says.

Even though Lawn Tek didn’t participate to get recognized, word got around the small town about the time the company’s workers volunteered for the project.

Kerry Stinnett says he’s had numerous people he didn’t know thank him for the company’s efforts.

And those efforts send out a strong message to the community, he says. “We’re just not somebody who moved in here looking to make a quick buck and then leave town like some landscapers do,” he says.

While the project would have cost $10,000 to complete, Lawn Tek was happy to donate their time free of charge. “They’re starting out life a little bit behind the 8-ball,” Kerry Stinnett says.

“So if we can help out somebody like that, it’s the right thing to do. I feel like everybody is going to have tough times in their life and if somebody can help you, that’s a great thing.”